I Will Never Stop
by thedarkunicorn
Summary: Reponse to Chapter 693. Sakura finds Naruto and Sasuke after their battle and does the unthinkable in order to save Sasuke. Sasuke considers her sacrifice and what it means to him.


_This is directly following chapter 693. Had to get it off my chest! Been freaking out consistently since the chapter came out! I know we all are! But it's coming. SasuSaku is as good as canon!_

When I awakened, I remembered everything immediately.

"It was just a genjutsu," I whispered.

I glanced around and noticed Kakashi. He had passed out cold. Checking his vitals I confirmed that he was only sleeping. He was exhausted.

Standing up, I looked in the direction I felt their chakras. I narrowed my eyes, realizing where they had gone, and took off.

The journey was long, and the further I got, the less I felt their chakras. I fought my urge to panic and pushed as hard as I could. When I arrived, I didn't feel anything—not even enough to locate them.

_They can't be…_

I locked in on a body and rushed over as fast as I could. Naruto was bloodied and not breathing, and I worked quickly to revive him.

"Please wake up, Naruto," I said. "Please wake up. Please wake up."

Feeling a faint glimmer of his chakra, I stopped, and waited, my tears covering his face. Feeling a faint grip on my wrist, I noticed his hand move just as he opened his eyes.

"Sakura-chan," he muttered. "Sasuke… needs you."

I followed Naruto's gaze and my eyes widened in shock. Sasuke stood not twenty meters away, looking as if he had rose from the dead. He fell to his knees, still watching us. The fall alone might kill him, and before he hit the ground, I caught him in my arms, my chakra already glowing around us as I worked to heal his major injuries.

"Don't bother, Sakura," he muttered.

I ignored him and held him close, knowing he was only moments from death.

"I'm not going to just let you die, Sasuke-kun," I said.

But I was dangerously low on chakra myself. His wounds were extensive, and it was all I could do to keep him alive. I felt him slipping away from me, and I bit my lower lip in a panic as I sent a surge of my own life chakra into him, refusing to lose him now. But it wasn't enough.

Knowing what it would cost me, I continued to drain my chakra into him, my mind focused on the silent organ in his chest. Just as my vision began to fade, I heard its rhythmic beat, and my grip on him broke.

I had done it—I had saved him.

A smile curved on my lips. I had been able to do something for Sasuke-kun afterall.

Then everything slipped away.

# # #

_~One Month Later~_

The beep of the hospital equipment unnerved me. Shikamaru and Choji stood by my side as I watched over my fallen friend.

_Sakura…_

All these years, I had watched her grow. She had become someone truly amazing, and I had become use to her indestructible power. Seeing her helpless and hooked up to a machine just to breathe deeply unsettled me. I held her hand in mine, fighting back the tears that fell anyway. It had been a month since the genjutsu that had nearly taken us all had been dispelled by Naruto and Sasuke. No one was really sure what happened, but ever since then, Sakura had been like this.

It was clear she had gone too far in healing them, and now, she was hanging on by a thread. Even Tsunade-sama was unsure if she would ever wake up from her troubled sleep.

I couldn't help but glance up at the stoic Uchiha leaning against the window sill. He hadn't said anything as we came into the room, or even looked up, but he had been there every time I had visited her. I don't think he ever left for long.

Everyone had been shocked when Sasuke returned to the village with Naruto holding Sakura's body. It had been he who had found Tsunade first and demanded that she heal Sakura. From what I understood, he hadn't spoken to anyone besides Naruto and Kakashi since the village had seen the return of its leaf shinobi.

"Come on, Ino," Choji said. "We should be going."

I set the flower I brought for her in the vase and removed the dying one.

"Yeah…" I said, glancing one last time at Sasuke before I turned and left the room.

# # #

When Shikamaru and the others came out of the room, I lifted my head out of my hands. I had been busier than I would have liked helping Kakashi organize the village since he was named the new Sixth Hokage. I hated not being near Sakura-chan, but it couldn't be helped.

Now that I was here, however, I felt as if I weren't really needed at all. Sasuke hadn't said much to me since our fight, and I wasn't sure where he stood now. What I did know was that he was expecting to die in those final moments, and the only reason he was still here was because of Sakura-chan. I think he knew that too, and it was why he hadn't left her side. I had never seen him like he had been after she fell. He had kept saying, "This wasn't supposed to happen."

His only concern was to get her to her teacher, the famed healer Tsunade, which was why he helped me to undo the Infinite Tsukyomi. Everything he had done since those final moments had been for her, and I feared what might happen to him if Sakura didn't make it.

I clenched my fists. He was right. This wasn't how it was supposed to be.

I was about to leave, unable to look at Sakura's still form anymore, when I heard a voice that couldn't be real.

"Sasuke-kun," called her soft, hollow voice.

I could sense Sasuke's chakra jolt. I rushed to the door, listening for any other sign of life.

Sasuke hadn't visibly moved, but his gaze was on her, watching her from narrowed eyes, waiting to see if it was more than just a dream. We both stayed deathly still, watching as Sakura began to fidget and mutter inaudible words. Soon her movements became thrashes, and her expression was pained, her eyes tight, just before they slipped open.

Sasuke's abrupt change in stance startled me as he stood up. He had lurched forward like he had wanted to go to her, but stopped himself, as if scared he might make her go under again. We both continued to watch her as she regained consciousness, her eyes just as vibrantly green as I remembered.

"Sakura-chan?" I said, going to her side.

"Naruto?" she whispered, looking up into my eyes. I smiled, tears brimming in my eyes.

"Sakura," I sighed. "You're finally awake."

"What happened?" she asked. I noticed Sasuke take a step towards the door, and I immediately let go of Sakura's hand and stood in his way.

He looked into my eyes for a moment, his sharingan flashing. "You haven't left her side for four weeks, Sasuke. I'm not about to let you walk out of here without a word the second she wakes up."

He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, he was looking at her, his sharingan deactivated.

"Sasuke-kun?" she asked, her voice shaking from lack of use.

"I'll leave you," I said, looking at Sakura. "I'm so glad you woke up, Sakura. I'll be just outside."

I stepped back into the hall and shut the door behind me. Some kind of weight had just lifted, one that I had become so used to I didn't know it was something that needed to lift. Sakura was _awake_ and Sasuke was still here. While nothing was right yet, I knew this was only the beginning.

I knew things would be right soon.

# # #

I felt numb. My hair had grown, and I felt my hand twitch for my kunai to cut it before I realized I was in a hospital bed and I probably didn't have a weapon. I touched the breathing tubes and made a motion to pull them away, but Sasuke was there in an instant, staying my hand. I looked up at him curiously, seeing him for the first time in focus.

Was that even really him? He looked different—tired.

Then I recalled the words Naruto had spoken, but hadn't made much sense at the time. _Four weeks? Had it really been that long?"_

"Is it true, Sasuke? Has it really been that long?" I asked.

He nodded and I glanced over and saw a flower in a vase. I smiled. Ino had been here. I felt relieved to know that she was alright.

"What happened?" I asked. I could feel the memory tugging at my mind, but it was all foggy.

"You nearly used all of your chakra to save my life," he said. "I am in your debt."

My brows furrowed and I looked back up at him. He had closed his eyes again.

"Don't be ridiculous," I said. "Naruto would have done the same for either of us. That's what being a team is all about. Besides, I'm fine."

His expression was angry when he looked at me again. "You are not fine. It was a stupid thing to do. I never want you to put yourself at risk like that again. Not for me, not for Naruto, or anyone. Do you understand?"

My eyes narrowed. "What in the hell makes you think you can make that decision for me? I'm never going to sit idly by and watch you or Naruto die. Why do you care anyway?"

His silence annoyed me and I crossed my arms. I don't know if it was the increase in the beeping or my words that made him cease his argument, but he dropped it after that.

I ignored him and tried to get up, but it was too much for me. I latched onto the bed for support, but Sasuke was there in an instant once again, holding me in place. A memory flashed across my mind of him falling into my arms, almost dead. A pain crushed against my chest as I recalled the feeling of almost losing him. I pushed it away. I had so many questions that I wanted answers to, but I didn't ask them because it would have been wasted breath trying to get them from him.

"You don't have to stay here, Sasuke," I said, too weak to move past him.

He kept hold of me and looked away as if he were about to leave, but then his next words shocked me.

"I'm sorry, Sakura."

He didn't say anything, but he did look at me again, his eyes just as somber as they were when he put me into that genjutsu so I wouldn't follow him and Naruto.

"For what?" I asked, holding back the flood that was about to be unleashed.

"For not realizing just how damn annoying you really are," he said.

I stood there, trying to keep the tears from falling down my skin. I smiled at what he said, but now the feeling I had been ignoring was screaming inside of me.

"You should rest," he said, lying me back down.

When he let go of me, I felt cold, then a panic as he turned and I cried out, "wait."

He looked back at me, his eyes as black as ever.

"Sasuke, please don't go," I said.

That was it. That feeling. I was scared of him leaving.

"I don't have anything to offer you, Sakura," he said.

"I don't expect anything. I'm just cold."

He stared at me for a long time and I thought he was going to leave, but then he laid down beside me, and pulled me against him.

"Just don't leave if I fall asleep, okay?" I said.

"Hn."


End file.
